Baucus to promote U.S. business in China

BEIJING — New U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus embraced the increasingly intertwined relationship between the two countries Tuesday, saying he would push for fair trade while urging Beijing to respect human rights.

Meeting with journalists Tuesday less than 24 hours after arriving in Beijing, Baucus said the U.S.-China relationship is one of the world’s most crucial.

“We simply must get it right,” the former senator from Montana said.

Underscoring both the opportunities and barriers for U.S. businesses in the China market, Baucus said he wants to promote trade “in a way that is mutually beneficial and ensures a level playing field for American businesses and workers to compete fairly with their Chinese counterparts.”

He said Washington wants to partner with China in tackling global challenges from cybersecurity to global warming, while also urging Beijing to “support the laws, norms, values and human rights that undergird the current international system from which we all benefit.”

Complaints over barriers to competition underpin criticism of America’s massive trade deficit with China, which last year reached a record $318.4 billion.

However, many U.S. businesses are thriving in China’s growing consumer market, while almost 220,000 Chinese are currently studying at American colleges and universities, the most from any country.